Just a Friendly Competition
by jbn42
Summary: They let someone else win, but it was never much of a contest.


**Author's Note: **Fill for three LiveJournal Friday one word prompts - "Wall" for Guz/Mira, "Infirmary" for Wash/Taylor and "Home" for Jim/Elisabeth. Note, this is set in the context of my other stories, but definitely not necessary to read those for this to make sense – just be aware that in my context now, Wash and Taylor are married and have a little girl named Gracie, and the Sixers have come back to Terra Nova.

Only my second foray into smut, and it's essentially fluffy PWP.

**Same old disclaimer. Not mine. No profit. Just borrowing.**

As the party winds down, several of them are sitting around a table in the plaza near the center of the colony. Jim, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, Alicia, Mira, Guzman, Deborah Tate and Malcolm are all nursing the ends of drinks, talking and laughing quietly so as not to disturb any of the colonists whose homes are nearby. She and Nathaniel are in two armless chairs pushed flush against each other, allowing them to get close, her curled into his side.

When they'd set their chairs that way, Shannon and Guzman both paid attention. They'd done the same, so they now sit with Elisabeth and Mira, respectively, similarly curled into them. The only two to maintain any distance between their chairs, and even in their case the distance is minimal, are Malcolm and Deborah.

The party had been to honor Maddy Shannon's and Mark Reynolds' recent engagement, much to Jim Shannon's at least pretended chagrin. Alicia knows that if they were back in the future, a girl like Maddy, only 19, would likely be in college now, marriage just an idea for the distant future. But here in the colony, things aren't the way they were back in 2149. Maddy can apprentice under Malcolm and be a wife, the two don't conflict with each other in any way.

Alicia swallows a smirk, thinking that it's probably a good thing that the kids are getting married given their activities all over the colony. Alicia only caught them once, in Malcolm's lab of all places, but once was enough. That was just a couple of months ago. Alicia read Reynolds the riot act, warning him that Shannon might actually kill him if he knew.

A week later, Reynolds decided to take the plunge – not asking Maddy. That would be easy. The plunge was asking Shannon's permission. To Shannon's credit, he handled it well. Reynolds emerged from the conversation with Shannon's blessing and only a small shiner. He apparently had reported to the infirmary shortly after, where he was given ice, sympathy, a hug and a warning that if he hurt her daughter he would regret it forever from Elisabeth. At the thought of the infirmary, Alicia's skin warms and she snuggles closer to Nathaniel, taking his hand.

_He kissed her hard, pushing her into the shadows created by the wall of the infirmary. Their tongues twined together in their usual battle for dominance – one she sometimes lets him win – and, with encouragement from his hand, she hooked one leg over his hip, grinding into him._

_He groaned into her mouth and moved his hands to cup her ass, pressing her to him. Her hands slid into his hair, and even though she was aware that anyone could happen upon them in a location this public, she found that in that moment, with him hard and unyielding against her, she didn't give a damn._

Laughter around them brings her back to the present, and she looks up to see Jim Shannon making a rather peculiar face. Nathaniel must realize she was daydreaming, because he leans down to her ear and whispers an explanation, motioning with his head. "Mark and Maddy, exiting stage right."

She looks in the direction he indicated and just sees Reynolds leading Maddy away, holding her hand and leaning down to nuzzle her neck as they walk. She turns towards Nathaniel and mutters, "No wonder Shannon looks like he just swallowed a bug." She and Nathaniel both snicker a little.

Crossing his arms across his chest, Shannon gives them an angry glare. "Just wait til it's Gracie. Then we'll see how funny you think it is."

Alicia rolls her eyes at Shannon's mention of their two-year-old, currently being watched by Corporal Reilly. They'd come to the party earlier, and then Laura took Gracie home so Alicia and Nathaniel could stay out as late as they want. Nathaniel grunts. "Shannon, between having me as her father and Alicia as her mother, just how brave do you think potential suitors are going to be?"

"Are you saying I'm not scary, Taylor?" Shannon actually looks outraged, making Alicia snicker again. He turns his eyes to her. "Et tu, Wash?"

"Shannon," she arches an eyebrow at him, "I've got news for you. In your family, _you_are not the scary one. Elisabeth, with all her scalpels and needles, and her newfound ability to kill nykos, is way scarier than you are." Alicia alludes to a relatively recent adventure she and Elisabeth had OTG.

The conversation rolls on again, Shannon sinking into a sulk. Nathaniel leans down to her again. "Carter and Skye just left, all over each other. Remind me why I'm not allowed to kill him?"

She laughs softly. "Because I said so."

"Bossy."

"Hey, I let you be in charge sometimes." She gives him a wicked grin, and he pulls her closer to him, one of his hands, concealed by their position, slipping down to rest dangerously low on her hip. A moment later, Deborah and Malcolm, sitting near them, draw him into conversation, and her mind wanders again.

_His mouth was hot on her neck when he seemed to finally realize where they were. He sucked at the sensitive place beneath her ear for a moment, his hands now kneading her ass, and then he whispered, his voice thick with desire, "Inside the infirmary."_

_He went back to sucking on her neck, and she tightened her hands in his hair before gritting out, "There's a nurse on duty, Nathaniel, even though it's late." Her leg tightened around his hip, drawing him even closer._

_"Back door," he murmured. Before she could protest, he leaned down and gripped her other leg, taking her weight as he pulled her leg up over his hip. His hands slid back to her ass, supporting her, and she gave up. She wrapped her legs more securely around him, crossing them at the ankles behind him, and she held on, one hand wrapped in his shoulder holster, as he carried her towards the little-used back door of the infirmary._

_He stumbled a little on the steps, making her hold on even more tightly. He got to the key pad for the door and mumbled, "Code," against her neck. She got his meaning and leaned down a little to enter her infirmary access code, one she and Nathaniel both have because of their command positions._

_The door slid open, and he'd slipped inside with her still wrapped around him. He might've originally intended to make it into one of the private exam rooms at the back of the infirmary, but she began rubbing her hips against him and ducking her head to nip at his jaw, and he clearly got distracted. Instead of advancing further into the building, he just turned and slammed her back into the nearest wall, once again sealing his mouth to hers, his tongue meeting and dominating hers, making her let out a whimper even as she ground into him again and tightened her legs around him._

Malcolm's voice suddenly brings her back to the present again. "Well, we're going to call it a night. I'm walking Deborah home, so we'll see everyone later." She looks over just as he stands up. He helps Deborah Tate to her feet, and they both bid everyone good night.

Alicia gets a small smile on her face as she watches them leave. Malcolm just walks next to Deborah as they go, but after a moment, his hand drops casually to her lower back, and Deborah leans into him slightly. Under her breath, she says, "Go Malcolm."

She feels and hears him chuckle next to her. "Really? Malcolm and Deborah? How did I miss that?"

Elisabeth smiles. "It's only been going on for a few weeks. They seem pretty happy, though."

Shannon, still sulking, grumbles, "Maybe he'll finally stop mooning over you now." They all laugh, and Elisabeth swats at him playfully.

"Hush, Jim. You know you have nothing to worry about." Elisabeth gives him a light kiss on the lips, making him brighten considerably.

Mira grins. "I wonder if they'll be as adventurous as her daughter and Carter. They've broken in at least half the flat surfaces inside the damned gate. And probably better than a third of the non-flat surfaces."

"I did not need to hear that, Mira," Nathaniel groans.

Alicia laughs at him, then turns her eyes to Mira and Guz. They seem genuinely happy, and Alicia can't help but be glad for both of them. That doesn't mean she won't tease them, though. "And what about you two? You're developing a bit of a reputation as well."

Mira's grin widens, even as Guz buries his face in her hair, his groan an echo of Nathaniel's only moments before. "You're one to talk, Wash. You two are pretty famous, too. Something about the desk?"

She and Nathaniel, both long past being embarrassed about being caught abusing his desk multiple times, laugh. Alicia looks over at Jim and Elisabeth. "You know, I never hear about the pair of you. How is it that you're so good at flying under the radar?"

Elisabeth just shrugs, clearly trying to appear nonchalant, and Shannon grumbles something to himself, making Alicia think there's probably a story there. Maybe in an attempt to push the focus off of them, Shannon says, "So, what's the best place you've done it? Best place wins." He looks back and forth between herself and Nathaniel and Mira and Guz.

Guz shakes his head, but Mira immediately jumps in. "Against an exterior wall of Guard Tower 12, the one way out on the west fence line."

"Mira!" Guz actually blushes.

Elisabeth and Jim looked surprised, and Nathaniel laughs out loud. "Against an _exterior _wall? Do tell, Mira."

Guz looks mortified, but when Mira gives him a look, he motions with his hand as if to tell her to go ahead. Alicia can tell that Nathaniel is listening to Mira, and Elisabeth and Jim are as well. Alicia already knows this story, having heard it from Mira not long after it happened, and her mind returns to their time in the infirmary.

_Without breaking their kiss, Nathaniel suddenly moved them away from the wall, but instead of going to an exam room, he walked them to a biobed a few feet away. He kept kissing her as he lowered her feet to the floor. She was about to pull away to ask what he was doing when she felt his hands remove her thigh holster and open her belt. Only then did he break the kiss, bending quickly to quietly place her holster and gun on the floor, and she just watched as he pushed her pants and panties down her legs to her ankles, where they caught on her boots._

_He straightened back up and put his hands on her hips, gripping them hard and lifting her to the edge of the biobed. She looked at him and then down at her pants effectively binding her ankles together. Aware of the need for quiet due to the nurse on duty at the front of the infirmary, she just lifted an eyebrow at him as if to say, "Now what're you going to do?"_

_He gave her a mischievous grin and ducked down again. When he straightened up that time, he did so between her legs, stopping briefly with his head level with her hips to drop a few caresses and licks to her exposed core. She'd arched against him, bracing her hands behind her on the biobed, biting her lip to keep from crying out._

_Probably knowing that they didn't have a lot of time, Nathaniel only spent about a minute with his face and hands between her legs. That minute was well utilized though, and as he finished straightening up, she was soaking wet and writhing and humming in anticipation at what was next._

She feels Nathaniel's hand squeeze her hip as they all laugh at Mira's story and Guz's reactions to her telling it. Elisabeth says, "So, you nearly got caught? And by Tasha?"

Mira nods, and, apparently realizing that he has once again buried his face in her hair, she turns and give Guz a kiss. "Sorry, babe, but you know I don't ever back down from a challenge."

"What about you and Elisabeth, Shannon? Best place so far?" Nathaniel raises an eyebrow at them.

"Home," Shannon replies, his voice a little flat.

"What?" Mira gives him a funny look. "I take it you're just trying to live vicariously through all of us?"

"It's because of me." Elisabeth draws their attention. "I just told Jim that we need to try to set a good example for the kids, in particular for the girls." She goes on to explain her reasoning, Jim looking slightly depressed and the others all looking incredulous.

Alicia knows she should pay attention, but her mind just really isn't cooperating tonight. She snuggles closer to Nathaniel as Elisabeth talks, taking his hand and pulling his arm around her. Yet again, the conversation has her head going back to the infirmary.

_When Nathaniel was standing, he leaned down and placed another searing kiss on her lips, his hands coming up to cup her breasts through her t-shirt, his thumbs flicking against her nipples, making her arch into him again as he swallowed her gasp with his kiss. She regretted the fact that they didn't have time to get completely skin to skin, but they couldn't take the risk._

_As he continued to massage her breasts, her hands reached out for his belt. She made quick work of it and of opening his pants, and a moment later, her hand inside his boxers made it his turn to bite his lip to keep from making a sound. He buried his face in her neck, going back to sucking and biting at it as she wrapped her hand around his length._

_He pulled back slightly, their eyes meeting in the dusky light. She released him, freeing her hands to push his boxers and fatigues down far enough to free him as he slid his hands down to her hips, dragging her to the edge of the biobed. He knew she was already ready for him, so with no preamble, he simultaneously thrust deep and hard inside her and once again covered her mouth with his, muffling both of their cries._

_He quickly set a fast, bruising pace, pounding in and out of her hard enough to slide her backwards, so she braced herself with one hand on the biobed. The other wrapped tight around his shoulder holster again, nails biting into the leather. Breathing hard, they broke their kiss, both needing air. He kept moving, dropping his head to her shoulder as she threw her own head back, gasping as quietly as she could._

_As worked up as they'd both been, she'd known that neither of them would last long. She was already close when he shifted the angle allowing himself to sink deeper inside her with each thrust. He added his hand to the mix, one finger sliding across her core in counterpoint to each thrust, just how he knows she likes it._

_His hard thrusts coupled with his hand hitting her sensitive nerves over and over again drove her to climax more quickly than usual, and it wasn't long before she was coming apart under his hand, her body convulsing around his. Her peak drove him to his, and it was only a few more hard, deep thrusts before he followed her over the edge, again kissing her hard to cover up his groan._

_After a few moments of ragged breathing on both their parts, he raised his head, grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat. She grinned back, and he ducked down to slip out from between her legs. In under a minute, they both were dressed again and exiting through the back door of the infirmary, their slightly flushed faces and her tightening her thigh holster as they emerged being the only discernible evidence of their recent activities._

"So it's down to Mira and Guz against you two, Taylor, Wash. What's your best place?" Shannon looks at them, smirking. Yes, definitely living vicariously.

They don't even have to look at each other before replying simultaneously and emphatically. "The infirmary."

Elisabeth's head pops up. "What?"

"Well, it was after dark!" Alicia defends them, but she's grinning as she does. She can feel Nathaniel suppressing a laugh next to her, and she bumps him with her hip.

"Hear that, honey?" Shannon says, dejected, "They've had sex in your infirmary, but we haven't. Great. That's just great."

Guz surprises them all by finally speaking up. "But I think ours is better. It's awfully quiet down this way after dark, especially near the infirmary. Except for the duty nurse, who was probably asleep, there probably wasn't another person within a hundred yards."

Mira nods. "He's right. We had a lot better chance of getting caught."

Even as Shannon agrees and grants bragging rights to Guz and Mira, Alicia and Nathaniel share a smile. If only they knew.

_"Where have you two been? The party's in full swing! Dunham is just about to start the toasts." Shannon's voice greeted them as they came around the corner of the infirmary._

_Alicia slipped her hand into Nathaniel's, squeezing tight. He smiled easily at Shannon. "Sorry, Shannon, something came up that we had to handle."_

_Shannon looked at her funny then, because she had to swallow a laugh at Nathaniel's choice of words. She coughed to try to cover it up. "Sorry, Shannon. Knowing Dunham, though, he'll be toasting Mark and Maddy for at least ten minutes, so we won't miss it all."_

_Shannon smiled and nodded as he wandered off into the crowd. She wrapped her arm around Nathaniel's waist, poking him in the side. "Something came 'up?' Really, Nathaniel? You can be such a child sometimes."_

_He chuckled at that. "I know, but complain all you want, I know you actually find it endearing."_

_She rolled her eyes. "You're just lucky that's true."_

_He pulled her tight to him, and they melted into the flow of the party, greeting everyone as they always do, no one the wiser about what they'd just finished doing in the infirmary._

As they walk home hand in hand, Nathaniel laughs softly. "What do you think they'd say if they knew we were talking about tonight?"

She ponders that for a moment. "Well, I think Guz would've pretended to be embarrassed but then would've high-fived one or both of us at his next opportunity. Mira would've been openly impressed." She pauses. "Elisabeth would've acted like she disapproved, but trust me, if she didn't think it would set a bad example for the girls, I'm pretty sure she'd be jumping Jim in just about every place you can imagine, starting with her infirmary."

He grins. "What about Shannon?"

"He'd have a stroke. Or maybe just a seizure."

"You're probably right." He laughs again.

They walk in comfortable silence for a bit, their fingers entwining. As they get close to their house, she breaks the silence. "Nathaniel?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Gracie's probably out cold. We could send Reilly on her way and call it a night. You 'up' for round two?" She looks at him with a smile. "But maybe a little slower this time?"

He gives her a near-feral grin and he stops walking to pull her to him. He growls quietly, "I think that can be arranged," and then he kisses her.

They pull apart a while later, and she can't help but smile up at him. "Well then let's get to it, Commander." With that, she swats him on the ass and takes off towards their house, his laughter and the sound of his boots hitting the pavement not far behind her.


End file.
